Creighton Bluejays

It’s easy to call the Creighton Bluejays a one-man team. After all, Doug McDermott leads the nation in scoring at 26.7 points a game, while only one other Creighton player averages double figures. And when McDermott is on the court, he takes 38.6 percent of the Jays field goal attempts, the second highest mark in the nation according to kenpom.com. But labeling Creighton a one-man show would undersell a unit that leads the nation in offensive efficiency at 1.25 points per possession. They lead the country in three-point shooting and are third nationally from inside the arch. And it’s not just give-the-ball-to-McDermott-and-get-out-of-the-way — 64.5 percent of the Bluejays’ makes are assisted on, the fifth highest mark in college basketball.

McDermott is a shoo-in for every national player of the year award out there, but a majority of his points come on passes from his teammates. While he has shown the ability to create his own shots on occasion, he does his damage on shots after one or two dribbles. He’s a smart player off the ball, diving to the hoop at just the right time for a layup or patiently trailing a fast break for a wide open, transition three. His teammates’ ability to knock down shots certainly helps McDermott get free. If you focus too much on the 6-foot-8 senior, then shooters Ethan Wragge and Jahenns Manigat will knock down open jumpers all game. With four players averaging at least 2.8 assists — Austin Chapman, Grant Gibbs, Devin Brooks and Manigat — the Jays have players who are willing and able to find the open man.

While not a factor on the offensive end, Creighton’s lack of athleticism hurt its interior defense. Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports.

The thing holding this Creighton team back from being a legitimate Final Four contender is the defense. Greg McDermott’s team — yes, Doug’s father coaches the team — plays hard defensively but lacks the athleticism to play at an elite level. The Blujays are 349th in the country in block rate and 343rd in steals, so opposing offenses are going to get a lot of shots off — if those shots fall, Creighton is going to give up a lot of points. In a six-round tournament, the Jays are going to run into a hot-shooting team at some point; it’s going to be up to McDermott and the nation’s best offense to overcome such a challenge.